Parliament has adopted the report of the Finance Committee and approved by resolution, the request for waiver of Income Taxes amounting to Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight Million, Six Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand and Three Ghana Cedis and Thirty-Four Pesewas (GH¢288,644,003.34) on personal emoluments of Health Workers for the months of April 2020, May 2020 and June 2020.
The approval also gave a green light to additional allowances to be paid to Frontline Health Personnel for the months of March 2020, April 2020, May 2020 and June 2020, in accordance with Article 174(2) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
On the coverage of the Waiver, the Chief Director at the Ministry of Health told The Committee that, tax incentives would cover health workers in private hospitals as well.
According to him, the Ministry has received the list of private health workers across the country for vetting and inclusion in the waiver scheme”.
Notwithstanding the list aforesaid, the Committee was informed that private health workers who may have inadvertently not been captured may still submit applications to the Ministry of Health for consideration, he added.
The Committee Report emphasized that, “the instant tax waiver request covers health workers in government health facilities, quasi-government health facilities and private health facilities.
The Committee was however, informed that the Ministry of Health is yet to decide on whether or not to extend the tax incentive to casual/IGF workers of Government hospitals”.
As part of measures to support frontline personnel involved in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Ghana has decided that all health workers will not pay taxes on their emoluments for a three-month period commencing April 2020.
All frontline health workers will also receive an additional allowance of fifty percent (50%) of their basic salary per month tax-free for the period March to June, 2020.
Story filed by Edzorna Francis Mensah
